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Government ministers and housing association leaders have negotiated a deal to extend the right-to-buy policy

Under the proposed deal, ministers would forgo plans to legislate for an extension of the right to buy scheme to 1.2m housing association homes. In return, housing associations would voluntarily agree to sell their homes to any tenants who wished to buy them.At the annual national housing conference 2015, held in Birmingham ,a spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: “We want to help anyone who works hard and aspires to own their own home turn their dream into a reality. The NHF have voluntarily come forward with a proposal, which the government will now consider.“Since 2012, councils have already delivered more than 3,000 homes through the reinvigorated right-to-buy scheme.”

Greg Clark praised associations and promised that an agreement would not oppose, their historical mission of housing poor people.

Mr Clark said at the conference: “Your tenants share the same hopes and dreams as everyone else. They live in the same towns, their children go to the same schools, they have the same ambitions for themselves and their families. They should be given the same opportunity, if they want it, to own their home.

“There is no reason why signing a tenancy agreement with a housing association should mean signing away your aspirations to be a homeowner.”

The National Housing Federation (NHF) said its plans would see the discount fully funded by the government and every property sold replaced with another housing association home.

Crucially, as the associations would not be compelled to sell stock under legislation, but entering an arrangement voluntarily with Government, the independence of the sector would be maintained," the NHF said in a statement.

Also being held in Birmingham at the same time, now in its fifth year, the the young leaders experience competition , which has rapidly grown in popularity since its inception, in 2011, becoming one of the most talked about and prestigious events in the housing calendar.

The YLE awards young people who work within social housing , wanting to improve standards and efficiency ,for the good of the social housing industry.

Below is one of the amazing young talented, five finalists, who will make their pitch at this year’s conference NHF conference.

The National Housing Federation response to Prime Minister’s Questions last week, on housing associations was the following. “Housing associations are emphatically not part of the public sector – they are the most successful partnership between state and private enterprise in the UK’s history, having brought £76bn in private investment to the table over the past 30 years. They built nearly half of all homes in England last year, 50,000 in total, and are committed to working with Government to build even more to help end the housing crisis.

“As independent organisations, they are becoming ever more efficient. Eight years ago they matched every £1 of public investment with a further £2 of private finance, today this figure has risen to £6 of private investment for every £1 of public money, and they are committed to doing more."Ruth Davison, Director of Policy and External Affairs at the National Housing Federation.Ruth Davison, Director of Policy and External Affairs at the National Housing Federation